27" thunderbolt flickers

What the ****, Apple? I purchased a new MacBook Pro and a new 27" Thunderbolt display, and the display flickers and goes dead. How much do I have to spend to get something that works?

UPDATE:
I received a call back from a senior tech at Apple. The salient points are as follows:
(1) Apple engineers are well aware of the problem.
(2) They plan to release a firmware update for the display at some indeterminate time.
(3) The fix for this problem will not be bundled into the forthcoming 10.7.2 Lion update.
Given that the flickering problem renders the Thunderbolt monitor virtually unusable as a desktop extension for a 27" iMac, combined with the fact that Apple has no idea when a fix for the problem will be available, my decision to return the monitor for a full refund is a virtual certainty.
AppleCare objected to my conclusion that the Thunderbolt monitor is "incompatible" with the iMac. Perhaps they're right. I'm not super technical so it's possible that I used the wrong term. It's a semantic distinction though. The bottom line is that Thunderbolt displays flicker when attached to a brand new 27" iMac and my personal opinion is that one is better off not purchasing this device until Apple fixes this major flaw.
Apple asked me to make a video of the Thunderbolt display manifesting the problem. Here it is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-UCGGkSciI
Hopefully this information will be of value to someone.

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New 27" Thunderbolt Display Flickers when attached to new 27" iMac

I'm using a new 27" iMac. I require a dual-monitor configuration so yesterday I purchased a new 27" Thunderbolt display and plugged its built-in Thunderbolt cable into the Thunderbolt port of the iMac. I now have a huge desktop space that spans two monitors. With that in mind…
At least once every few minutes the new Thunderbolt display blacks out (i.e. flickers) for approximately one second. The symptom is very similar to what a Windows-attached display does when the screen resolution is changed. A quick Google search indicates others are experiencing the same problem although most complainants are using a MacBook or Mini, not an iMac.
Apple posted a firmware update for the Thunderbolt display a few days ago. I installed it successfully but the problem remains. Any advice?

UPDATE:
I received a call back from a senior tech at Apple. The salient points are as follows:
(1) Apple engineers are well aware of the problem.
(2) They plan to release a firmware update for the display at some indeterminate time.
(3) The fix for this problem will not be bundled into the forthcoming 10.7.2 Lion update.
Given that the flickering problem renders the Thunderbolt monitor virtually unusable as a desktop extension for a 27" iMac, combined with the fact that Apple has no idea when a fix for the problem will be available, my decision to return the monitor for a full refund is a virtual certainty.
AppleCare objected to my conclusion that the Thunderbolt monitor is "incompatible" with the iMac. Perhaps they're right. I'm not super technical so it's possible that I used the wrong term. It's a semantic distinction though. The bottom line is that Thunderbolt displays flicker when attached to a brand new 27" iMac and my personal opinion is that one is better off not purchasing this device until Apple fixes this major flaw.
Apple asked me to make a video of the Thunderbolt display manifesting the problem. Here it is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-UCGGkSciI
Hopefully this information will be of value to someone.

Are the new thunderbolt mbps suffering from external screen flickering?

Hi i have the early 2011 thunderbolt macbook pro and i cant use my external monitor (non apple) because it flickers. I saw today that they upgraded the mbp line. Do you know if the problem is still there?

Yes, take your machine back to Apple for evaluation, exchange or refund.

Thunderbolt display image flickering problem

Hi Sir,
I bought thunderbolt display yesterday. I think there can be problem that added. Sometimes i see image flickering. I havent see before display.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/692wjw2zfnhss26/IMG_0733.MOV
Can I learn your ideas.
Thanks.
Deniz

Hello Deniz YILMAZ,
The following article can help resolve many issues that you may encounter with your display.
Apple computers: Troubleshooting issues with video on internal or external displays
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1573
Cheers,
Allen

MacBook Pro thunderbolt show flickering with 24-inch Cinema Display

Hello,
I see other people are having this problem of the cinema display flickering and going completly black for a couple of seconds.
Is this on Apple's radar? Is there a fix pending?
From what I can tell the problem was first reported 7 weeks ago.
thx
Lach

I am having the same issue. My screen will flicker at a steady pace about once every 3 to 5 seconds, the flicker its self is maybe half a second long tops.
Needless to say this is completely annoying! Was not a problem until today, I thought I was lucky to have avoided the horror stories of Thunderbolt display problems. This is another thing I can add to my growing list of annoyances with a $2400 computer. It is sad really. I can hook up an Asus netbook to my 1080p display with no problems but somehow one of the fastest laptops available has issues being hooked up to an external monitor.
I want to love my MacBook but unfortunately it has been annoyance after inconvenience after just plain silliness with this computer.
Please fix this Apple.
The monitor I use is a 23" Samsung 1080p display through a Thunderbolt to DVI connection.
10.6.7 Build 10J4138

MBP13, Intel HD3000 graphics, Thunderbolt Display flickering

I have a early 2012 (late 2011?) MBP13 with a 2.8Ghz i7, 8GB of RAM, and the Intel HD3000 graphics. For awhile I was running it with a Samsung 24" monitor, and it was perfectly fine. However last fall I upgraded to the 27" Thunderbolt, and it now flickers to black, sometimes for a couple seconds. It will do this during normal operation (browsing, Office docs, etc.) but where it really shows up is when I play video streams, be it Netflix, Amazon, or Youtube. In other words, not narrowed down to a particular codec.
Additionally, if I have a firewire drive connected to the display, and I'm doing heavy work off of it, i.e. iMovie editing of HD video content, the display will go black indefinitely.
I have verified this behavior with two other HD3000 equipped laptops (both core i5 2.3Ghz models), so it's not just my laptop.
So it's the monitor, right?
Not exactly. I got a new base model MBP13 in today with the 2.5Ghz i5 and the Intel HD4000 graphics.
The result? No problems, even full screen Netflix. Not a flicker.
I'm wondering if this is a limitation of the HD3000 chipset, and I'm just out of luck, or if there's a fix available. I've also tried it under both 10.7.5 and 10.8 (all iterations).
What's odd is that the variable is graphics chipset, however it's not just video; it occurs during anything that would be bandwidth intensive over the Thunderbolt bus.
Thoughts?

No one? I guess I'll give Apple a call.

Flickering thunderbolt display?

flickering thunderbolt display connected on my mac mini? any solution?

Thought I would chime in on this too. I picked my 27" TB up Mid-March (2014) and for a week everything was ok.
Within the last few days it has been acting as previous posts describe: flickering, powering off entirely, distorted display etc... I've tried any number of ways to disgnose / resolve the issue - to no resolve.
I spoke with Apple tech support and was escalated to a Sr. Tech who collected some system logs to be analyzed by an Engineer. Maybe they can figure this out becuase it appears to be an issue spanning back to 2011 (or earlier).
Sufficed to say, it's extremely frustrating, especially given the price of this display. For the same price I could have bought two of the competition's monitors....
Currently running it off of a brand spankin' new 27" iMac 3.5Ghz, i7 | OS 10.9.2
Please Apple, figure this out.

Thunderbolt update for mid-2011 MacBook Air causes slowdowns and flickering?

So I've experienced not one problem since getting my mid-2011 MacBook Air. After installing the Thunderbolt update that was pushed through Software Update the other day, I've noticed that when I go into Mission Control or App Expose it's more sluggish than it used to be.
Additionally, I saw my screen flicker several times - I have never seen this before.
Has anyone experienced similar problems since installing this update the other day when it came out? I'm most concerned about the sluggishness of the screens.
Thanks,
BJC

I never installed it, it's popped up each time I've checked -- but today it wasn't offered in Software Update. Odd.

Thunderbolt vga adapter flickering

i bought a brand new mac mini a week ago.and i have a display running thorugh the hdmi which workd great. but i recently got the thunderbolt to VGA adapter and i tried to set up a second monitor with it. the vga display is showing up, butits bouncing horizontally on the right side. and every 10 seconds or so will shut off, and turn back on.
it does this on any vga monitor i plug in, even when its the only display i have plugged in. ive tried 4 different vga cables, and still the problem persists.
is this common. and is there anything that can be done to fix it?

I am using a minidisplay port to VGA adopter for my 20102 Mini and have no problem.
Try resetting the NVRAM
How to reset NVRAM on late 2012 Mac Mini: Apple Support Communities
Next try another minidisplay port to VGA adopter.
Last call Apple (you have 90 days or free telephone support) or
- Make an appointment at the Genius Bar of an Apple store.
Apple Retail Store - Genius Bar

Thunderbolt display flickers but only in Windows 7

My Early 2011 MBP in Bootcamp to Windows 7 will flicker, blank out then come back maybe once every 5-10 minutes. It only happens in Windows 7 and not in OSX. Anyone else see this issue?

Stick with DVI.
Too many have reported issues with Windows 7 and VGA through Thunderbolt. Seems the Windows 7 driver only does digital, not analog.
If you must use VGA with Windows 7 on a Mac, the suggested paths are:
USB-VGA adapter, bypassing Thunderbolt
Run Windows in VM and let Mac OSX run it all since it can make analog (VGA) signals.

Can't stop Thunderbolt display from flickering white lines after firmware update (Yosemite)

I am having serious issues after the Thunderbolt Display Firmware Update 1.2. Running Yosemite on MacBook Pro and I am now getting white lines that gradiate from the bottom to the top of my screen across multiple browsers, apps and even the finder window anytime I move my mouse. I cannot take a screenshot (it stops when I try) but I posted a video here:
http://youtu.be/3zOKL1JFp5M
It is impossible to work this way and after 20 minutes of watching my screen constantly refresh anytime I move my mouse I am feeling nauseous.
Is there anyway to UNINSTALL this firmware update? I was not having this kind of problem before. Every once in awhile I was finding my Thunderbolt display would not wake up after sleep and I thought the firmware update would fix that, not cause more, crazier problems. It is causing this gradiating line problem on my Thunderbolt display AND my MacBook Pro screen, which is even more bizarre.

I updated and no issues with my 2012 Mini so may be computer related. I believe once a firmware has been "burned" into the chip it cannot be redone.

I just ran a software update for Java and MacBook Pro SMC, now my Mini Display Port to HDMI TV is not working. The TV is flickering. The Mac Display is fine.

I was just watching / streaming TV off Safari on my actual TV.
I'm using a Mini-Display Port to HDMI cable for the connection to the external display.
Software update popped-up and said there was an update for Java and for SMC.
I ran the update and upon the computer restarting, my external display (my TV) is no longer working. It is now flickering.
It won't work in Mirroring or set up as an extended display.
I've reset SMC / PRAM / Safe Mode / Even restored from a Time Machine backup (From before the updates were done).
What could it be?!

I keep saying this over and over, in the hope that people who do a search will find it. Apple cannot possibly test for or be reponsible for the bazillion combinations of adapter, cables, and TV's out there. The only monitors that are 100% guaranteed to work with the MacBook Pro are the Cinema Displays and Thunderbolt Displays, because, they're made by Apple. They're expensive, but they work perfectly.
My guess is that you bought a cheap MDP to HDMI cable, or have a defective one. From my reading of these boards over the past few months, cheap cables have a high failure rate. And the regular priced ones have only a slightly less of one. Try a new one. Make sure you do not damage the Thunderbolt port.

TS3232 I have the mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter firmware 1.03 and I still have screen flickering issues

I have the mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter firmware 1.03 and I still have massive screen flickering issues on a Mac Mini 2012.
I am using a Dell 30" monitor (it's the Samsung screen just rebranded) connected to a WD 4TB Thunderbolt drive connected to the Mac Mini.
The screen is usable for the most part when I've just started the computer (although today I started having issues after a fresh restart) but if even just the screen goes to sleep, or the computer goes to sleep and I wake it later, I start to have massive flickering to black and occasionally to snow.
The effect seems to be more likely to arise when I'm on heavy graphics-intensive websites or programs (eg, Tumblr feed with lots of GIF images or working in Adobe Premiere), but once it starts shutting down those programs has no effect, the screen keeps flickering wildly.
The problem improved after the 1.03 firmware upgrade (for a while it was flickering uncontrollably ALL the time and was virtually unusable) but it has not gone away.
Any suggestions would be very welcome, either for how to fix this issue or how to get Apple to, you know, let me TELL THEM that their adapter firmware fix has NOT solved the issue, since my phone support has expired. :/

I have a new Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter to allow my original Apple 30" Cinema Display to connect to the new Mac Pro. Shipped straight from Apple, it is firmware version 1.03. I've never had flickering issues, but the display will often go black (possibly after a screen power save) and not come back. when this happens I am still able to connect to and use the Mac via remote connection. But the only way to get the screen back is either to unplug the adapter and plug it back in to the Mac, or to shut down and power up the Mac. This may be a separate issue, so I'll also post it standalone...

2011 Mac Mini w/Intel HD3000 video signal loss on HDMI and Thunderbolt?

I've had this issue since I first purchased my Mac Mini back in August. I also discussed this issue with a friend who just purchased a Mac Mini too, and he has the exact same problem. When connected to my monitor via HDMI, the screen will flicker to green, go out, then come back on. Sometimes I have to cycle my monitor input button before the screen returns. Also, if I connect to my monitor via DVI to Thunderbolt adapter, the screen flickers to "snow", then cuts out intermittently. It's the same problem either way. I'm connected to a new Asus VE276Q 27" monitor. I connect my Xbox and PC to the same display with no issues whatsoever. This is my first Mac product and I'm VERY frustrated with this problem. A firmware update was released a few months back regarding flickering when connected to an Apple Cinema display, but this had no effect on My machine. I've also verified the display refresh rate setting as well. Anyone else out there having this problem?

I recently got the 2.3 GHz Mac Mini. I tried hooking it up to a Viewsonic VX2035 with the enclosed HDMI DVI converter. I get the same results as you. Nothing on the monitor. It says no analog signal detected. Then the monitor goes into sleep mode. I hooked it up to a 32" Westhinghouse HDTV using a HDMI cable and it works fine.

Drive Dell 3008 WFP From ThunderBolt/Mini-Display Port to Display Port

I am trying to find the reason why my new MBP Retina Display can not drive my 30 inch Dell 3008 WFP Monitor. When I connect them the MBP flickers as if it is detecting the display, but I never get a picture. Does any one know if this is possible, and if not the reasons why ? Should I have chosen a Mini-displayport to DVI or VGA connection instead? Thanks.

Sorry I did not make that clear. Instead of the Thunderbolt/Mini-DisplayPort to Displayport. which is the connection I am trying now with the results described...basically nothing. Monitor knows there is a connection it just says no signal from computer. MPB does not even show the monitor in display prefences. I tried holding option and pressing "Detect Displays" and nothing shows up.

27" thunderbolt flickers

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